Tuesday, January 29, 2008

This is the sort of thing that makes me laugh and suspicious when I see United Church of Christ officials and local ministers quoted in the paper. Emailed from the United Church of Christ national office to church leaders and ministers:

Many of our offices and churches have been deluged with emails recently about Trinity UCC in Chicago, because of Barack Obama’s membership there. Most of the emails – it appears – come from a single unknown source.

Below are some talking points to assist you further:DO come to the defense of the United Church of Christ and Trinity UCC.

“I have first-hand experience of Trinity UCC, its leaders and its ministries, and I know it be a faithful, generous and justice-minded congregation that takes seriously its ministry within and among the African-American community on Chicago’s south side.”

“The United Church of Christ includes many of the oldest congregations in this country. More than 10 percent were formed before 1776. It is socially, racially, economically and theologically diverse, and its membership includes 10 members of Congress — five Republicans and five Democrats, includingObama.”

DO NOT come to the defense of Obama specifically. That’s not yourrole.

“Our concern is the attacks that have been made on Trinity UCC, which are blatantly unfair and untrue. They do not fairly characterize the Chicago congregation where Obama and thousands of others hold their UCC memberships.”

DO refute distortions or misconceptions about Trinity UCC.

“Despite erroneous claims to the contrary, Trinity UCC’s membership includes several non-Black members — including the Rev. Jane Fisler Hoffman, Illinois Conference Minister, and her husband, who are white.”

“Trinity UCC is a welcoming, hospitable church. If you’ve been there, you know this to be true.”

“Trinity UCC’s ministry is inclusive and global. Trinity UCC is a generous contributor to funding new church starts throughout the country and beyond, and it is the largest single donor to our ‘Our Church’s Wider Mission,’ the shared mission fund of the UCC, which is 90 percent European-American.”

DO explain the predominate racial-ethnic heritage of Trinity UCC’smembership.

“Many churches observe and honor the racial-ethnic heritage of its congregation and its members, including — for example — many UCC churches of German, Samoan, Puerto Rican or Hungarian heritage. Trinity UCC is no different in honoring its African heritage.”

DO speak to racism as a present-day issue of justice that needs thenation’s attention.

Rev. Wright, like other UCC ministers, regularly speaks about important issues of justice, and racism is surely one of them. To deny the reality of racism in our nation — both historically and in the present day — is to ignore one of the most pressing social justice issues our nation faces.”

DO NOT engage in proof-texting of Jeremiah Wright’s sermons.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate nor fair to read a few sentence from another pastor’s sermons and then pass judgment, without knowing the context, the audience, the scripture, and the occasion and purpose for which these words were written and delivered.”

“Rev. Wright’s sermons are broadcast every Sunday on national cable television and streamed on the internet for all to hear. He has long been regarded as one of the best preachers in Chicago and in the nation.”

These talking points ask people to make assertions they could not possibly know without further investigation. If I were a UCC pastor who would be asked about Trinity UCC, I would go to Trinity's website and decide for myself what kind of congregation and pastor we're talking about. I assume the website includes sermon manuscripts?

The UCC is one of the most liberal denominations. I grew up UCC, and now I am with a conservative congregational church that preaches the word, without compromise. If you want a feel good, lets all get along, kumbaya type church, thats the UCC. It was a major mistake for the fromation of UCC in 1957. Many churches who were part of UCC are leaving in hugh numbers. Especially the heartland of America. Those rural, churches are wanting biblical values that are conservative, not the garbage that is propagated from UCC Synod.

QUOTE : Tim said... The UCC is one of the most liberal denominations. I grew up UCC,... Many churches who were part of UCC are leaving in hugh numbers. Especially the heartland of America. Those rural, churches are wanting biblical values that are conservative, not the garbage that is propagated from UCC Synod.--------snip----------This has been a big issue in our UCC church -- and the political sermons -- and people are leaving in groves and have been.

Then add all the LGBT garbage they are trying to throw down our throats in 2005, and you see that the SYNOD has stepped over the line between CHURCH and STATE, plus are not concerned about the FAMILY and FAMILY VALUES.

This --and REV WRIGHT's outrageous ORIGINAL unrevised website - are going to do the UCC in!

You better get your crap together and soon before you give Religion a bad name.

The Rationale

"If you believe love should be uncritical, you
may soon be thinking that I do not love this church. But my experience has been
that to be a member of the United Church of Christ is, almost by definition, to
be a critic of it. To be uncritical is to be the real oddball in this church.
Perhaps to be uncritical is to be un-Christian".

-From The United Church of Christ
Tomorrow, THEOLOGY AND IDENTITY: TRADITIONS, MOVEMENTS, AND POLITY IN THE
UCC (Pilgrim Press: 1990), edited by Dan Johnson